Twisted
by insincerealgai
Summary: Jake is driving down a road in town, when he sees an upset Cassie walking down the sidewalk. So he decides to be nice to the only girl in New Salem who wouldn't give him the cold shoulder.
1. Chapter 1

So, even though I do think this show is rather awkward, it is growing on me and I _do_ find myself shipping Jake and Cassie. I haven't decided if it will be a bunch of random oneshots with characters from the show, Jake/Cassie centered oneshots, or a story. But, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything pertaining to this series!

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><p><em>Jake is driving down the road in town, when he sees an upset Cassie walking down the sidewalk. So he decides to be nice to the only girl in New Salem who wouldn't give him the cold shoulder.<em>

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><p>Jake's mission to kill Cassie is getting harder and harder, whenever they interact. Sure, she doesn't trust him now. But she's still the only person who would give him the time of day in this town, and he appreciates that. So when he sees her walking down the sidewalk from the high school, clearly upset, he can't help but roll down his window and ask, "<em>Do you want a lift?<em>"

Cassie shakes her head, and continues on the path. So he tries again. "Come on, Cassie. You might not trust me, but at least let me try and help you."

She pauses, bites her lip for a moment in thought, and decides to get in his truck. God, he could so easily kill her. The blade was in his damn pocket, for Christ's sake. But looking into her friendly eyes, her bright smile… he knew, he _knew_ probably since the moment he saw her, interacted with her, that he wouldn't be able to. Besides, she wasn't even around when they first found out about magic, about their powers. She personally, wasn't to blame for his brother's death, at least for introducing him to magic...

"So can I ask what brought you to the point where you were crying on the sidewalk?" he asks, looking at her as he drove. She hesitates for a moment, before saying:

"Adam and Diana. She broke up with him, because of something his dad told her while he was drunk, and it's my fault. I just can't get over the fact that I ruined their three-year relationship, and if I hadn't showed up, they would still be together."

He tries to get her to elaborate, but that's all she'll say on the matter. So Jake chooses to continue to be nice to the only girl in New Salem who would be considerate towards him. Granted, if Cassie had known him before he left she probably would not be even half as nice, but it was something.

"Alright, we're going to make you forget that Adam and Diana even exist."

She looks up at him, curious. "How?"

"Well… we could go to my house and get drunk. But you don't seem like you're that kind of girl, so…" He says this with a lighthearted tone, and she laughs at the joke. He certainly didn't want to piss off Cassie, but he was pretty sure sleeping with her and then killing her would be worse than just plain killing her. It would be easier to kill Adam and Diana - harder to kill Melissa, because she had been Nick's girlfriend, and probably even harder to kill Faye. He wants to take the witch blade in his pocket (which feels like it's burning a hole through his jeans), throw it out the car window, and drive away with Cassie right now. But he knows, he's smart enough, to know it just can't be that easy.

_I'm avenging Nick_, he thinks, and it's a constant mantra running through his head. He's good at lying to himself, probably too good, so it's almost enough for now. Almost…

"You've already helped," she says, and to his surprise, he believes her.

Jake's already in too much, and yet… "I can take you back to my house, and if you feel uncomfortable, you can just walk back over to yours," _Another chance to fail on killing her._

Cassie bites her lip, and eventually nods her consent. "Okay, let's go."

He smiles, and steps on the gas.


	2. Chapter 2

So, I hope you enjoy the second part!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from TSC.

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><p><em>Continued...<em>

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><p>Cassie smiles at Jake from across the table, and laughs at something he had just said. He was right, he had cheered her up tremendously. He had ordered pizza, gotten out some beer (Only Cassie had soda, because it was a school night), and watched some movie she didn't bother to know the name of. He had his arm around her, and she honestly hadn't thought about Adam or Diana since she had set foot in the house.<p>

It's only then that she notices the time; midnight! God, her grandma would kill her… _especially_ if she knew she had been at Jake's house, of all places. Not Diana's or Faye's or even Melissa's.

Jake had noticed the change in her expression, and she says, "It's getting late, I should go home… school tomorrow, you know."

He nods, and turns off the television set. Cassie insists on helping to clean up, carrying her plate and can into the kitchen and throwing them away. As she did that, Cassie accidentally bumps into the radio on the counter, turning it on.

With a small exclamation, "_Oh!_" she turned around and bumped into Jake, who smirked at her. Before Cassie could even register what was happening, Jake had taken her in his arms and started dancing with her around the kitchen. She starts laughing, and lets him guide her across the kitchen to an old Michael Jackson song.

And while she notes Jake's smile, she doesn't see how it doesn't match up to his tortured eyes, his almost _guilty_ expression... so she while she's smart enough not to trust him, she doesn't make any connections; too damn naive to connect the dots, to put the pieces together.

As the song ended, Cassie breaks apart and says again, "I _really_ should be going home now…" And Jake smirks, because it's easy to see that she doesn't want to.

"I'll show you out, then."

She takes his offered hand, and they walk towards the door together in an almost comfortable silence. When they reach it, she says, "Thanks… you know, for today."

"No problem. I'm glad I could help out."

Cassie pauses, a hand on the doorknob. "I still don't trust you, but it's easy to see that you're not a bad guy, Jake. Let me try and help you, because you're obviously in some kind of trouble, and-"

She's interrupted, because Jake had leaned down and kissed her, right on the lips. Cassie's a little surprised at first, but kisses back.

It's Jake who stops, when he murmurs, "You're a great person, Cassie. Please, don't ever change in that aspect. But there's nothing you can do for me. What's done is done, and there's no turning back."

She frowns, because she doesn't understand the context, so she makes an educated guess. "Something to do with the witch blade?"

Jake's eyes widen, and states, "I think you should go now," Cassie frowns again, and reaches out for his hand. He pulls it back, saying, "Now." She nods imperceptivity, and leaves. She has no idea what's in store for her, and she knows that she shouldn't, but all she can think about is their conversation, of their kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

Enjoy! This has a bit more action in it. So it's a tad longer. :D

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

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><p><em>Continued...<em>

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><p>Jake knew his time in New Salem was up when he saw Issac's pissed-off expression. Then, if there had still been any question, any hope, he knew it was gone when he punched him in the stomach. Doubling over in pain, Jake gasped as the impact hit hard.<p>

Nevertheless, he still asks, "_What the hell was that for_?"

Snarling, he holds up a picture... a picture, of him kissing Cassie. "So you were _spying_ on me?"

"You weren't getting the job done fast enough, so we sent people out to watch you, to see why you weren't," Issac says, punching him in the face as his goons held him back.

"And I must say, we sure as hell were surprised when we found out way," he taunts, holding up the picture of him and Cassie in his face. "Tell me, do you think she'll be as friendly when she finds out the truth?"

"We were supposed to be _partners, _Issac! I wasn't supposed to be your _servant_," Jake hisses, through his teeth. As he predicted, it earned him another punch to the stomach.

"Obviously, you strayed from the task at hand. You got distracted; have yourself a little _girlfriend_ now, and it's funny because _she's_ the target."

"You've had your fun, Issac... I can go kill them all right now, if you want. I have all the requirements; their personal items, their blood..." he trails off, because he knows it's futile.

"Oh! And look, who we have here. Miss Blake, why don't you come out now?" Jake freezes as Luke and another guy pull a tied-up Cassie out of the shadows and into the room, "Go to hell," she spats at Issac, and glares at him. Always feisty; it's what he likes about her.

"You too," she adds, after a glance at Jake.

Issac smirks at Cassie, and says, "Luke, why don't you do the honors of getting the others? Since Jakey here couldn't follow through with it _even though_ he was the first to volunteer as the vanguard, it's up to you now." Luke nods, and leaves the boathouse.

He then turns his attention back to Jake, "Tell me, Jake... how do you think Nick would feel now that you failed to avenge his death? That _you_ let your brother down, by failing to kill the others in his circle?" Not responding, Jake hung his head, too ashamed to look at Cassie.

He was therefore surprised to hear Cassie speak up, "Don't listen to him, Jake. He's twisting the truth around into something it isn't; instead of blaming us in some screwed up way, blame the demon who possessed him; blame the people who drowned him in that water, _not us! _We all cared about Nick; none of us wanted him dead. You have to believe that!"

Jake knows it's illogical to place the blame on her; the others in the circle. But he can't help it - with his brother's killer still at large, he's desperate for some kind of vengeance and it's going to drive him _Michael Myers_ crazy until he gets it. He treated his brother like shit, and avenging his death was the least he could do to make it up to him.

"Shut it, Blake!" Issac snaps, and has someone hit her.

"That's real manly, not even being able to hit a girl by your own hand," Jake smirks, looking up at him.

So it stands to reason that Issac came up to Jake, and threw some more punches to his gut.

"_You_ of all people have no room to talk," he spat.

"Now, I have some business to take care of. I'll be back soon… tie them up," Issac said, ordering some men to tie them up in chairs next to each other.

"Keep an eye on them, and let me know when Luke brings the others," he orders, and took his leave. Jake tried to catch Cassie's eye, to try and maybe figure a way out of this mess, but she avoided his gaze.

_Oh, Cassie…_


	4. Chapter 4

So um, I wasn't planning on writing again until the weekend, but then I started to procrastinate on working on my research paper, so this is what happened...

Hope you like it! :D

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

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><p><em>Continued...<em>

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><p>Cassie had known from the beginning whatever trouble that Jake had brought with him was bad. But she had thought it was something more akin to drugs, getting in too deep. Apparently, he <em>had<em> gotten in too deep, but this was the absolute last thing she had expected. _Killing...?_

She doesn't want to talk to him; she doesn't want anything to _do_ with Jake. So she's extremely upset when the crazy man Jake referred to as Issac left, leaving her alone with him; there were two men guarding the doors outside, but other than that, they were alone.

"Cassie-" he tries again, for the fifth time since Marco had left, and it's almost pathetic.

"Don't," she snaps, coldly. He can't know anything she felt; the pain, betrayal... hurt. Faye had warned her, hell, even Jake himself had. _But had she listened?_

"Dammit! He's going to kill both of us when he gets the chance, and the least I can do is get you out of this mess alive," Jake swore, and she admits that he has a point. She doesn't want to die because she was too stubborn, too prideful, too angry at the only person who could help her at the present moment.

"Fine. But don't think this changes anything," Cassie agrees, and he nods in complacent understanding. "These ropes were built to sustain our magic; but that doesn't make them indestructible..." Jake says, trailing off when he spies a knife on the table. He glances at Cassie, and she's read his mind.

"Would the magic of two witches combined be able to break through?" she asks, and Jake seems to think that it might do something positive for them.

"Scoot over here, and take my hand," he says, and noting Cassie's blatant reluctance to go anywhere near him, adds "Do you want to get out of here alive or not?"

She sighs, and edges closer to Jake as she tries to grasp his hands. Jake finds them, and she absolutely _hates_ how her hands still tingle from his touch, even now. "_Knife like bird, take flight. Knife like bird, take flight. Knife like bird-_"

They break off in surprised accomplishment as the knife slowly rose from the table, and came towards them.

"Got it!" Jake hisses, and immediately begins to cut through the rope. It doesn't take long, and he soon starts in on hers. Now freed from the rope, Cassie rubs her wrists from where it had dug into her skin, and asks, "What now?"

"Distraction," he replies, simply.

"What did you have in mind?" Cassie asks, and she almost regrets voicing the question as she notices the change in Jake's expression.

Outside, the two guards were extremely bored. Regardless of what had been going on inside, it was a quiet, peaceful night. The stars were out, and the water was relatively calm.

Grumbling to himself, Bryan reflected on their situation. When they had first started working for Issac, he had no idea that he'd be stuck babysitting two teenagers while Marco went off to do his own thing.

Bryan turned to his co-worker and started to voice his complaint, "So, Tom-" but he never finished his sentence, because in the distance a humongous explosion in the water drew their immediate attention.

"Think we should...?" Tom asked, looking at him. "Well, if someone happened to be _in _that explosion, we would be obligated to do something..." Bryan said, and he grinned. "Let's go. Besides, those two aren't going anywhere."

The two men hurried off, leaving a smirking Jake and Cassie behind. "Don't look so smug, we still have to find Luke and stop him from getting to the others," she says, quickly ending any feeling of companionship she had just felt with Jake.

"Okay," Jake complies, and somehow she gets the feeling he's only doing this so stoically for her; if, under any other circumstance he would have high-tailed it out of there, into the next town, next city, next girl... if she still wasn't so angry at him, she might've appreciated it.

He opens the door for her, and they escape; taking their leave from the wretched boathouse.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! Thanks for all the kind reviews, they mean a lot. :3

Disclaimer: Don't own this.

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><p><em>Continued...<em>

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><p>"Cassie! Where are you going?" Jake calls, admittedly worried.<p>

"I don't have to explain anything to you, Jake Armstrong," She turns, and to his face says, "However, if you _must_ know, I'm going to make sure the others are safe. You've helped enough,"

Jake sighs in frustration, and runs a hand through his hair. "Cassie, two people working together will produce faster results and if you care about your friends-"

She interrupts him, snapping, "Fine. I'll call Adam, and you can check on Faye."

He nods in agreement, and calls Faye. He sees Cassie talking on the phone, so that means Adam's alright... not that he cares; he never really liked him. But, Faye doesn't pick up. He's not so sure that it's because it's _him_ calling, or because she's in danger, so Jake tells her to call Faye and double-check. When she doesn't answer Cassie, he admits that he's worried. Even though he's done with Faye, that doesn't mean he wants her dead... especially because of the trouble he brought to town.

"Adam's going to get Diana and Melissa's still out of town, so that's everyone," Cassie murmurs, looking up at him.

_But where was Faye?_

"Faye's probably... just being Faye," she says, pursing her lips together in worry.

"I need to go back," Jake says, voicing what they were both thinking. Who knows what Issac would do to Faye when he came back to the boathouse and saw neither of them were there.

"I? You mean _we_," she corrects, narrowing her eyes.

"No. I started this, and I'll clean it up. I've caused you to be in enough danger tonight, and you need to go home now."

"How _dare_ you. Faye is my friend, and I am going with you whether you like it or not," Cassie demands, glaring at him.

"But-" he tries to interrupt, but Jake knows it's futile when he sees the look in her eyes.

"Cassie, you could be-"

"Killed? Don't even try to play that card, Jake," Cassie argues, shaking her head. She was already walking towards the docks, and Jake sighed because he knew he had lost this battle. "Fine," he agrees; not like his consent mattered to her, obviously.

"Do the others know?" Jake asks, wondering if she told them.

"Not yet. But Faye will probably find out if she's with Issac, and it's not my job to tell them anyways. It's yours," she replies, and he knows Cassie's right.

Jake tells himself he doesn't care what they think, and maybe it's true... but that doesn't mean he wants five angry witches after his hide. So he follows Cassie, and they walk towards the docks in a stony, determined silence. That is, until he broke it.

"You deserve an explanation, Cassie. At least let me explain, so you can understand _why_. I don't care about what the others think, but I do care about what _you_ think."

"Not now, Jake. We have to make sure that Issac doesn't have Faye, and then _maybe_ we can talk," Cassie says.

They finally arrived at the boathouse, and to their horror saw Luke carrying an unconscious Faye to Issac.

"_Oh no..._" Cassie murmured, to herself. _They were too late._


	6. Chapter 6

So uh, two chapters in one weekend. I hope you all like where this is going (and that the lovely readers keeping up with this work feel loved), and I still appreciate the nice reviews I've been receiving. Thanks! :)

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

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><p><em>Continued...<em>

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><p>Jake grabs Cassie's hand, and leads her to the back entrance. "Jake-" she whispers, in protest.<p>

"See, look - there's Faye," he murmurs, looking at her through a small-paned window.

"We need a plan," Cassie says, and she's right.

"You cause a distraction, and I'll go in and get Faye," Jake states, glancing down at her.

"Alright, just get Faye; don't let Issac fill your head with anything," Cassie warned, and he nods slightly, so that she understands. Jake takes her face with his hands, forcing her too look up at him, and says, "Look, in case something would happen..."

"Jake, don't talk like that. That is _not_ the proper attitude when you're going into something like this-" Cassie was interrupted, because he kissed her. It was brief, but it made her realize she still had feelings for him, even though he was a major dick. So she tells him that when they break apart.

"You're still a major dick, you know. You've got a _lot_ of work to do if you really want my trust back, my forgiveness," she says, her initial anger subsiding for the moment.

Jake does that odd, half-smile thing that he does that makes her heart flutter, and murmurs, "You wanted to help; go distract."

"I'll see you on the other side," Cassie whispers, and gives him one last look before creeping to the edge of the boathouse. Considering the circumstances at hand, she's smart enough to tell that he _has _changed, that he didn't want to kill her anymore - if he ever did. It was all because of Issac. At heart, he was just a hurt, lost, lonely kid who had gotten in too deep with the wrong people. Maybe she's just being a stupid teenage girl with a crush, but that had to count for something, right?

Forcing herself to focus on her current mission, _instead _of Jake, Cassie immediately has an idea when she spies two guards from earlier, and smirks at them; if they thought Jake's distraction was bad, the poor bastards would have no idea what hit them this time.

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><p>Jake doesn't have to wait for very long; soon, he hears a huge bang. Guessing that that was his cue, Jake enters the boathouse. It was easy, thanks to Cassie's distraction. He doesn't know where she is now, but he knows she has his back. Oddly enough, it's a comforting thought.<p>

"Jake, you made a mistake coming here. You should have left when you had the chance," Issac says, holding a knife to Faye's throat.

Shaking his head, he responds equally hostile, "I don't know about you, Issac, but I think your time in New Salem is up. You've had your fun, but it's time to find another circle of witches to kill. You're done here."

"You little traitor. The mortals would call what you pulled a Benedict Arnold; leaving your own side in favor for the enemies. But what you've done, are doing, is worse - you can't go back and forth in-between these two sides whenever it suites you. Pick one and stay with it. So, I'll give you _one_ more chance. The witches, who use the magic that got your brother killed, which you _told_ me you wanted to stop, or the witch hunters. The ones who welcomed you with open arms, who understood what pain and trouble you were going through, who gave you the opportunity to avenge Nick's death?"

Briefly, Jake glances at Faye; her eyes were wide with some mixture of horror, wonder, shock... _bet she never thought he was _this_ fucked up._

"I thought I made my stance on the matter clear when I first arrived. I don't believe I stuttered, Issac."

"Maybe you would reconsider your decision if you saw who else we have..." he says sinisterly, with a purely sadistic grin on his face. And it's then that he finally understands; it's been egging at him for quite a while, and he knows that Cassie's been trying to explain it to him, but it really became clear at that moment. It didn't matter if you were a witch _or_ a witch hunter; it's what you _did_ with your powers, your talents, that decided what kind of person you are, whether or not you deserved to die.

And then Issac brought out a tied-up Cassie. _Son of a bitch._

"I'll cut you a deal, Jake. Kill one of them, and the other can go free - I won't even harm a hair on their head."

_Oh, shit..._


	7. Chapter 7

So, I wanted to update once more before the new episode tomorrow, so I did. Thank you SO MUCH for the kind reviews I've been getting. :)

Disclaimer: Don't own this.

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><p><em>Continued...<em>

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><p>Jake's mind is in a full-blown 'panic mode'. <em>Cassie or Faye?<em> How could Issac expect him choose between his ex-girlfriend, or his to-be girlfriend?

He couldn't see any way out of this; there were no shortcuts, no easy way out, he couldn't run this time.

He looked past Issac and Faye and met _her_ eyes.

He drew strength from her gorgeous blue eyes, and he knew what to do.

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><p>Cassie watches Jake in horror as she fidgets in her bonds. She couldn't make him choose between her and Faye; the two had so much more history than she had with him, and even then, it would be cruel. She sees Jake glance over Issac and Faye to meet her eyes and somehow, she knew what to do.<p>

"Now I know you aren't actually that sadistic, Issac."

"Ahh, but I am," the witch hunter says. And although she's standing behind her, Cassie can feel the evil smirk on his face. Growing impatient, he snaps, "Go on, I don't have all day. Choose!"

"Do you have the ingredients _to _kill them?" Jake played it cool.

Issac gestures to a table overflowing with a plethora of witch-hunting supplies - which included both Faye and Cassie's blood.

He moves to grab them, and for a split-second Cassie's panicking that Jake lied to her. He was _actually_ going to kill both of them, and she was just standing here doing nothing except foolishly believing that she had influenced Jake enough that he was on their side... her side. At this point, trusting him was all she could do.

Jake holds both glasses, and it's so quiet and tense that you could hear a pin drop.

"Well?" Issac raises his eyebrows, tapping his foot impatiently. _God, this was like a real-life Saw movie_, Cassie thinks as she notices the torturous conflict in his eyes.

"Why don't you go to hell, Issac?" With that, Jake smashed both glasses on the ground and punched Issac in the face. The shards of glass scrambled around the room, and Issac swore profusely before grabbing him and tackling him to the ground.

"_You can't walk away from this_!" he snarls, grabbing Jake by the shirt collar and throwing him against the wall. Meanwhile, Faye untied herself. Seeing that she was free, Cassie stepped on the guard's foot with her heel.

Howling in pain, he let go of her and she broke free. She ran towards Faye, but a "_Stop!_" caused both witches to look at Issac, who was holding Jake with a knife to his throat.

"You will listen to me if you want him to live, witches. He's caused me enough trouble as it is, I would rather just off him right now. The punishment for treason is torture and death in most countries, and you should thank your lucky stars that Jake is still alive."

Both Faye and Cassie held still, their eyes on the witch hunter.

"What do you want us to do?" it was Faye who finally asked the question.

"_Excellent _question! Call the others in your circle, and tell them to come here. If I think you're warning them in any way, he dies."


	8. Chapter 8

So I know a lot of people would like me to write longer chapters (which, in retrospect, is a good thing), but if I write longer chapters, I won't be able to update as frequently. I can try to write chapters up to around 1000 words, but it's up to you guys, I suppose. Shorter chapters and quicker updates, or longer chapters with more of a wait?

I also tried to get this done and posted before 11/11/11 was over, but I got home too late and didn't make it. :/

Again, I would like to thank everyone for the encouraging reviews. Any constructive criticism will be taken into appreciative consideration. :)

Disclaimer: I still don't own TSC, I'm afraid.

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><p><em>Continued...<em>

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><p>At this point, Jake knew he was a dick; a <em>humongous<em> dick, and Cassie had been right all along... he should never have gotten involved with Issac, but it was too late now.

If there had ever been any 'hope' of reconciliation between the two, it was dashed when the witch hunter held a knife to his throat. No, scratch that. _Was currently holding_ a knife to his throat. But that was all in good fun.

It was Issac's mistake to have Cassie call the others. Adam, Melissa, and Diana might be frustratingly clueless, uneducated, and ignorant of how dark and dangerous their magic really was, but that didn't make them completely stupid. They knew something was up when Cassie texted them to come to the boathouse.

"You're ridiculous if you think you can get away with this," Jake hisses, clenching his fists and his heart beating frantically in his chest. There was absolutely no way could die. Not now, not like this; not from Issac's hands.

He had been suicidal at one point in his life (but really, what normal teenager hadn't thought of dying at least once?) before he got involved with Issac, before he met Cassie, but now he _had _to live; for Nick, for his parents. So that in a way, his family could live through him. He couldn't let the Armstrong name be forgotten in the midst of tradgety and loss.

"I must be ridiculous then, because it seems to be working," Issac pressed the blade closer to his neck, so that it drew blood.

"I might be a dick, Issac, but you're a bigger one."

That almost brought a chuckle out of the witch hunter. It was only 'almost', but it was enough. Enough, so that it distracted Issac long enough for Jake to grab his hand holding the knife, and twisting it around so that there was a sickening _crack!_ and slammed him up against the wall.

"_You'll have to find someone else's magic to take advantage of. I'm not going to be a tool in your sick games anymore,"_ Jake swears, his blue eyes glaring into Issac's, daring the man to contradict him.

In the crazy moment where everything seems to happen at once, Adam burst through the croaky doors of the boathouse, fire burning in his eyes and ready for a fight to the death.

Jake glanced up at the other witch for a brief second, and Issac took advantage of this. He threw Jake aside, and he nearly roars in frustration, "Adam, you _imbecile!_"

But the other witch has already ushered Cassie and Faye out the door, to safety, before he could even register the action happening. The next thing Jake knew, he was seeing stars; Issac had him tackled to the ground, punching him with his good arm and doing a damn good job with the other.

"Jake!" he hears Cassie's worried, panicked voice; and to him, it's beautiful. He throws Issac off of him and desperately shouts, "Go, I'll be fine. I can handle him."

Suddenly, Issac is on fire. The man is screaming; the horrific cries of a man that death took by surprise at the wrong time. He meets Cassie's eyes, and it's obvious to him that she's as confused as the other two. She's so innocent that she doesn't even have the slightest idea of what her father did, what the dark magic did. _Of what she can do._ If she's as unaware of how powerful she is as he thinks Cassie is, she's in even more danger than before. Even though she's a good person, dark magic can invest itself in even the nicest, purest of people… and he knows this better than most.

Jake knows he has to stay now; he's the only one that can tell Cassie about the Blackwells. That can stop the Circle from repeating the destructive history of their parents' Circle.

He hates this place, but he'll stay for Cassie.


	9. Chapter 9

So, I hope everyone enjoys the next installment, and as usual, thank you very much for your input and reviews. I also tried to make it longer. :)

Disclaimer: Don't own TSC.

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><p><em>Continued...<em>

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><p>Cassie is staring at where Issac had once stood in shock. This is the second time this has happened; first, with Luke... and now this? She felt the magic emanating from her when he was on fire; <em>what was she doing? <em>And the scary, scary, utterly _scariest_ thing about what she did to Issac... it felt damn good to burn him alive.

Coming to, she notices Jake staring at her. How was she even supposed to act around him now? Should she be mad, angry, resentful? Had she forgiven him already? He had betrayed everyone, but he had saved Faye; had saved all of them, in actuality. When he had a choice to let them all die.

Adam answers the question for her when he spoke up, "I think you should leave, Jake."

"Oh, don't be stupid. They'll come back for Cassie, and if you think you're strong enough to stop them, you're even dumber than I thought," Jake retorts, his blue eyes flashing dangerously.

"So... this means you're staying?" Cassie says, her uncertainty clear in a soft voice. She hates how hopeful and pathetic it sounds, and cringes.

"Yes."

She knows it shouldn't, but it brings a small, barely noticeable smile to her lips in response. He wasn't running. That made all the difference in the world to her.

However, that made Adam angrier. "Cassie, he shamelessly lied to us, he betrayed us, he-"

"Adam! We're all aware of what Jake has done, it doesn't need to be said aloud," Cassie snaps at him, _almost_ losing her temper.

Faye speaks for the first time since she arrived, "If anything, I think we can trust him more now than we could before. We know his secret, what he was keeping from us, and he chose us over the witch hunters. He's got a valid point; they will be back, probably with reinforcements next time.

Whatever he feels for Cassie is real; they're obviously strong, if it made him switch sides as he did. So, I won't do anything to stop him if he stays. But that doesn't I'm his friend," With that being said, Faye stalked out of the boathouse in her usual haughty manner.

As soon as she left, Diana rushed in, breathing heavily. "I'm so, so, so, _so _sorry. I came here as soon as I could; I was having dinner with my father. He had been planning this father/daughter dinner for a week because we're both usually so busy that we never really see each other and just talk, and-"

"Hey, it's okay. We're all alive and generally unscarred," Cassie interrupts, smiling half-heartedly.

"Good," Diana returns her smile, and turns her attention to focus on Jake. Any traces of friendliness she had previously showed towards Cassie vanished as she began, "Don't think you get to walk away from this so easily, Jake Armstrong. You might have redeemed yourself by rescuing Faye and coming clean in the just the _nick_ of time, but you'll have a lot of ass-kissing to do around here if you expect to be genuinely welcomed anytime soon."

_Wow, Diana's intimidating when she wants to be._ Cassie thinks, her blue eyes widening in surprise. Noticing that Jake's eyebrows were raised as well, she met his eyes in what was almost amusement. However, his expression was gearing more towards, '_you're funny if you think you can tell me what to do_' than anything else. She makes a mental note not to piss her off.

"I'm only staying to protect Cassie when the witch hunters come back for her. And they _will _be back. I can keep her safe more competently than any of you could."

"We _do_ need someone educated..." Diana trails off thoughtfully, pondering what to do.

"Di, _no_! Am I the only one who can see what a bastard this guy is?" Adam bursts out, furiously.

"Adam, don't let your anger blind you! We don't know as much as he does about magic, about what else is out there. We could really use his knowledge, _and you know that_. I think he can stay, as long as he agrees to help us."

Realizing that he had lost this battle as Diana gave her verdict of the situation, Adam stormed out of the boathouse, shouting over his shoulder, "You'll regret giving him another chance, Diana!"

She shot Jake an apologetic look, and sighs. "If everyone is out of trouble for the night, I'll head back to dinner. I kind of left him without explaining much." Pulling out her car keys, Diana took her leave.

Which left Cassie alone with _him_ in the boathouse.

Meep.

Jake turns to her. "Want me to take you home? It's the least I could do."

Before she can stop herself, her head is nodding along in agreement. "This doesn't mean I forgive you. _Or_ trust you." Jake shrugs indifferently, leading the way out and holding the door for her. He knew she'd be mad; hell, she had a right to be mad. It was only expected. The only surprise was that it was only Adam who had wanted him gone after they found out. He had at least expected more from Faye, although Diana's reaction wasn't too surprising.

"Why, aren't you just the _perfect_ gentleman," Cassie bites sarcastically as she graciously walks through the door he had held for her.

"Don't be sarcastic; it doesn't suit you."

"And you know what does?" She spun around, glaring into his eyes and almost bumped into him. Cassie had to at least make _him_ believe that she was furious at him; what kind of person would that make her if she immediately stopped being mad at him?

Jake takes her wrists, and calmly says, "Yes. And it's not sarcasm," Before sidestepping her to get to his truck.

Biting her lip hesitantly, Cassie follows at his side and makes sure to keep appropriate distance between them. Not an easy feat at all, when Jake inconspicuously kept trying to edge closer and closer towards her.

This was not going to end well... but then again, did they ever?


	10. Chapter 10

Hi! As always, thanks for the reviews. :3 I appreciate all of them, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

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><p><em>Continued...<em>

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><p>Jake glances sideways at Cassie as he drove them home. She hasn't said a word since she stepped inside the car; although it's nothing less than what he deserved, he supposes. He hates how his conscious is acting; after Jake's repressed feeling anything for so long, it had caused his conscious to come back full force after he met her. He was starting to feel <em>everything<em> again because of her, and to be honest it scared the shit out of him. Jake hadn't felt this much in what seemed like an painfully long time.

He thinks about how things got this way; they weren't supposed to get complicated, _he wasn't supposed to fall for anyone._ All he had to do was kill the witches and be done with it; finally get some closure and revenge on the town that he hated, that had brought him so much pain.

Meeting and falling for Cassie Blake had not been a part of the picture. Originally, he had been more worried about having to kill Faye; before they broke up and he left, she had been the one person he could count on, and how was he supposed to kill someone like that?

But no, she wasn't the problem.

Cassie was.

She irked him, irritated him; forced him to rethink every decision he had ever made since he left town and joined the witch hunters. Jake _hated_ her for that, because it had just been so damn _easy _before_. _So simple, so mindless that he had been able to ignore his humanity, and just follow through with whatever task Issac assigned him.

_What would Nick have thought of that?_

A new feeling to tack onto his already abundant list: shame.

"Cassie-" he was silenced with a death glare, but after dealing with Issac and other bitchy witch hunters for so long, that didn't intimidate him in the slightest.

"You're gonna have to try harder if you think that'll scare me," Jake taunts, smirking.

"You know, I never liked how arrogant you are," She crosses her arms, looking distantly out the window as some rain started to fall.

Curiosity peaking interest, Jake can't help but to ask, "Then what _do_ you like about me? It's hard to see anything but the 'arrogance', as you call it."

He knows Cassie heard him, but chose to ignore the question. Jake sighs as they ride along in an awkward, stony silence down the dark road. He turns on some annoying pop music that he's sure neither of them like, but it makes the silence a bit more bearable.

Jake comes to a stop, parking on the side of her street. "I'll help you out," he offers, reaching for the handle.

"You don't have to act like a gentleman just to suck up to me; to 'win' me back. No acts of that kind will get you much of anywhere," she spoke up suddenly, glowering at him with those blue eyes that were just so...

"I'm _always _a gentleman when it comes to stuff like this. Just ask Faye, I'm sure she could back me up on that." Ignoring her protest, he stepped out of the car and opened the door for Cassie.

"You aren't walking me up to my house," she deadpans, looking at him intently to make sure he knew she was serious.

"Fine; just tell me what you like about me, and I won't," Jake snatches the opportunity as a thief would gold, and he's nearly proud of himself.

Cassie raises her eyebrows and crosses her arms. "Some gentleman, forcing a lady into a situation she doesn't want to be in."

"I can be _quite_ determined when I want to be, Cassie Blake," He steps closer to her as the rain starts to fall harder around them.

"Would it help if I said what I liked about you?" he asks, taking her hands.

Cassie purses her lips, and he's pleased he at least got her to think about it. "Maybe… but not tonight. Tonight, you've done and proved more than enough."

She moves her hands out from Jake's, and he might have left it alone... if Cassie's insult hadn't had nearly as much bite to it as it should have. Cassie's walking away, and he doesn't want her to leave yet.

"Cassie!" he shouts, blinking through the rain.

"Look, we'll talk about everything later, okay? Does that satisfy you?" she turns around, and has to yell over the pounding rain pounding on the pavement. It also makes her bra quite visible through her white t-shirt, but he figures that's not the right thought.

"No, it doesn't!" Jake follows her, until they're close enough that he can see the shivers running down her spine from the cool rain.

"Then what would? It wouldn't change anything, and we both know that."

"_How do you know_?" he hollers, challenge in his dark eyes as his eyes bore into hers. Cassie meets them, and he can only hope to guess about what she's thinking. He can barely feel the rain pelting down on his back; the tension between the two was nearly unbearable as another flash of lightning struck down.

The next thing Jake knows, Cassie's lips are on his and the only thing he can think about is how amazing she tastes. He grabs her and pulls her close, wanting to savor every second. It's over as quickly as it began; in a blink of an eye. She's turned around and walking back to her house, and he lets her go this time.

Not today... _but there was always tomorrow._

Wait… when had he turned into an optimist?


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been drowning with homework and college applications, but this is a little bit longer to make up for it. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own TSC.

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><p><em>Continued...<em>

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><p>Cassie desperately held her cell phone up to her ear, waiting for Diana to pick up. The dial tone went straight to voicemail, and Cassie swore as her eyes shifted to the clock momentarily. She needed someone to talk to about this, and Diana wasn't answering her phone.<p>

She certainly wasn't going to talk to Faye about her relationship with Jake; she might be blonde, but she wasn't _stupid._ Which left Melissa... she was still grieving for Nick, and Cassie didn't feel very comfortable talking to her about Jake. It would be almost rubbing it in her face; _I'm sorry, I have his brother and we're both alive, haha you don't have yours anymore._

Thankfully, Diana picked up on the second try. Breathing a sigh of relief, Cassie spoke into the phone, "Diana, could you come over?"

_"It's about Jake, isn't it?" _

"Yeah, I just need to get some things straight... my grandma knows what happened, she'll be fine with you being here."

_"Okay. I'm still cleaning up, but I'll be there soon." _

Diana was like an angel, Cassie thought as she hung up.

Turning around to look through her window, she noticed that Jake was in Nick's room. He had taken a liking to staying there, even though he probably had his own room._ Although maybe it didn't entirely have to do with Nick..._

Even though she still had to sort out her feelings for Jake, that didn't stop her from catching his eye and waving flirtatiously at him. He raised his eyebrows at her in question as she took off her damp white shirt, revealing a black lace bra underneath.

Cassie wasn't a virgin, but she had never undressed in front of a guy as intensely as this before.

So while she was nervous, she also felt a new kind of exhilaration as she watched Jake's eyes roam over her breasts hungrily.

Smirking, _because she had his complete attention,_ Cassie slid out of her jeans next and tossed them aside. Clad in the black lingerie, she approached the window in a sultry manner. She grabbed a rose from a vase of flowers on her bedside, and put it in her mouth. Arching her back, she threw her breasts in front of the window and blew him a kiss.

It was just at that moment, she was awoken to the sound of a doorbell ringing. Blinking, Cassie rubbed her eyes. _What did I just dream about? _She asked herself, in near horror.

Groaning, Cassie rolled off her bed haphazardly as she headed downstairs to let Diana in.

To her surprise, it wasn't her.

It was Jake.

"What are you doing here?"

He smirked, almost playfully. "I need some sugar, and it's too late to go the store in town."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "That is one of the most pathetic excuses in the book, and you know it," and moved to shut the door.

"But in all seriousness, I really do need some sugar. It's a surprise," Jake insisted, winking.

Sighing, Cassie said, "I'll be right back."

"You aren't going to invite me in?" Jake asked, pouting almost playfully.

"I'm expecting Diana soon."

"Even better. We can party together," Jake said, smirking again.

Sighing heavily and recognizing that he didn't want to leave anytime soon, Cassie stepped aside. "Come on, the kitchen's this way."

Grinning, _because he had won_, Jake followed her into the kitchen. Cassie found the jar of sugar and a plastic bag, and glanced at him. "How much sugar do you need?"

Holding back a snicker, Jake replied, "About four cups."

A few seconds later, Cassie handed him a bag full of sugar.

"Thanks. So what are you and Diana going to be _doing, _all alone in your room?" he asked, with a wink.

Rolling her eyes at his lesbian innuendo, Cassie showed him to the door. "You got what you came for. I better not catch you spying on us through your window tonight."

"Or what?"

"Or you can kiss your ass goodbye."

"If you expect me to be intimidated by that, you're more naive than I thought," Jake said, heading out the door.

"So who's the surprise for?" Cassie asked, changing the subject.

At this, he looked meaningfully at her and smirked. "I think you should keep an open schedule tomorrow, Cassie. You never know what might happen."

Smiling, she said, "I'll think about it," Right when Diana pulled in and parked on the street.

"And that's my cue to leave," Jake said. Seeing that she was still in her car, he kissed her quickly on the lips before saying, "I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Cassie Blake."

"Just because I let you borrow sugar does not mean everything's okay," she said, giggling.

"Keep telling yourself that."

"I will!"

Laughing, Jake rolled his eyes and turned back to his house.

Diana was walking up to the door now, looking fierce and delicate and beautiful, resembling an angel. Wow, Adam was missing out.

"Was that Jake I just saw leaving?" she asked, giving her a quizzical look.

Cassie almost looked guilty. "Maybe..."

"Cassie!"

"I'm sorry, I just can't stay mad at him! Yes, he _did_ betray us, but in the end, he came through _on our side. _Jake was trying to protect me when he tried to get me to run away with him."

Diana did a double take. "Wait, he wanted you to run away with him?"

"Yeah..." she bit her lip, not meeting her eyes.

"You know what I think?"

"What, Diana?"

"I think you failed to mention these kinds of details to me, _and_ you've got a lot of explaining to do. Like, why was Jake here just now?"

Smiling, Cassie led her up to her room. "Because he... he wanted to borrow some sugar,"

Diana sighed, and looked at her. "You two really care about each other, don't you?"

Reflecting on everything that had just happened recently, Cassie nodded. "I care about him a lot Di, and _I don't know what to do about it._"

"Oh, Cassie..." Diana enveloped her in a hug. A hug that she desperately needed... _Jesus, _Adam was so stupid in dumping Diana for her. Did he really think that she was shallow enough to betray her like that just for a boy, _especially_ when she was already interested in another?

No, she definitely wasn't that kind of person.

"What should I do, Di?"

"I don't know... he did come here with the intentions of killing us all, but... somewhere along the line, his intentions changed. You changed everything about him, Cassie. You don't know what Jake was like before he left, but if you had, you would know just how much you did change about him."

"So you think it would be okay if I dated him?"

Diana beamed at her and nodded, "Honey, I think you already are. You've captured his heart, and you haven't even gone on a real date yet."

She grinned. "I knew you were the right person to go to. So are you doing okay, since Adam...?"

"Much better. I met Melissa's cousin the other day, and he is _fine_," she said, giggling.

"Fantastic!"

The two spent the rest of the night in their pajamas, watching classic Disney movies and eating Ben and Jerry's. Neither Jake nor Adam was mentioned, and it was something both of them needed.


End file.
